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Gender Roles In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

1517 Words7 Pages

The confinements of gender roles do not allow people to reach their full potential due to the lack of choice and self-identity that comes with a set of rules set and encouraged by societal standards. This idea is present in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale with the idea that from the lack of choice comes acts of rebellion against the government in protest of the roles that may not be wanted by all. Forced gender roles also cause the Gilead citizens to remain poised and proper in their roles out of fear, which in turn contributes to both genders being degraded by one another in order to protect themselves from being punished. Due to this, society would be destined to become heteronormative and leave no room for any variation among citizens. The importance placed on both genders fulfilling very limited and strict roles in The Handmaid’s Tale creates a miserable society with unfortunate consequences. The ever-looming presence of gender roles that causes much misery had the Gilead citizens stuck in the mindset of women must do one thing while men must do another. An example of this attitude is present in the Commander and his feelings towards Offred, as in the …show more content…

From the forced gender roles, acts of rebellion rose in a meager attempt for the citizens to fight back. The citizens appeared to be obedient, but this was just fear in disguise. This fear was constructed by the Gilead was propelled by placing people in gender constraints, and both men and women were subjected to criticism about deviations from their roles that was no fault of their own. Society became dominated by heterosexuality and everything different from that became erased and penalized. If the mutilating stress of gender roles continue to be placed upon humanity, our society may be looking at a similar series of tragic

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The Religion Influences in The Handmaid’s Tale Word Count: 1563 This purpose of this essay is to establish and explain connections between the Christian Religion and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. It is not attempting to point out flaws or discriminate against the religion. Margret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a dystopian novel, that centres around the themes of corruption, oppression, and theocracy. Told in the first person, the novel follows the female ‘Offred’ in her daily life/activities and past experiences in the newly founded “Republic of Gilead”.

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Symbolism In The Handmaid's Tale

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Gender Roles In Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale

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Handmaid's Tale Literary Analysis

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These texts demonstrate the societal issues involving oppression of women, women’s sexual role and their status. The Handmaid’s Tale depicts the rigid societal structure whereby women are forced to serve in various aspects and functions in the society. The boundaries of the context set are in Gilead, a totalitarian state dominated by Christian fundamentalists, indicating that Gilead enforces conformity among its citizens. In a simply put manner, one’s social position is fixed. The permanent social statuses are clearly evident from the colour-coding of the women wherein “some [are] in red, some in dull green of

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Oppression Of Women In The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

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Throughout the novel, aphorisms play a large role in depicting the role of women as subservient to their male counterparts. By altering distinct aphorisms from the Bible and then locking it away from women, the male leaders of Gilead use the Bible to impose their rules and views. These modified sayings are instrumental in the effort of the subjugation and indoctrination of Handmaid’s. Although Offred resists conforming to such brainwashing, her constant references to Aunt Lydia's precepts are indication of the success of such tactics. One saying in particular, “Modesty is invisibility” (Atwood 28), is so indoctrinated in Offred that she conforms to the doctrines and rules of Gilead without hesitation.

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The subjugation of women is evident in the Gilead system as each Commander is given a handmaid whose name is “Of” the Commander’s name. Handmaids have no identity of their own and are similar to sex slaves at the mercy of

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